Russia promotes double standards in UN - Kyslytsya
"Last week alone, the Russian delegation to the UN twice demonstrated how easily it neglects the lives of millions of ordinary people. I mean two Russian vetoes on draft Security Council resolutions on the Cross-Border Mechanism for Humanitarian Aid Delivery into Syria, on which 2.8 million Syrians depend," the Ukrainian diplomat said.
Kyslytsya said that Russia had formally accused the cross-border mechanism of violating Syria's sovereignty because it allows the provision of assistance across the border with neighbouring countries without the permission of the Syrian authorities.
"Russia has done everything to ensure that only one of the four cargo checkpoints remains open," Kyslytsya said.
He said the unofficial reason for blocking the resolution was in order to help the Assad regime decide for themselves who will receive humanitarian aid and who will not and thus changing the balance of power in the region in their favor.
"This is a classic example of double standards. After all, the words of Russian diplomats at the UN about Syria's 'sovereignty' eloquently differ from Russia's actions in eastern Ukraine, where so-called 'humanitarian aid convoys' are regularly sent without the consent and control of the Ukrainian authorities," Kyslytsya said.
Russia and China last week blocked a draft resolution in the UN Security Council that allowed the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria through two checkpoints on the border with Turkey.
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